Below this text is a photo of me climbing at my new phenology spot. This is a specific route on Looking Glass Rock. I chose this place because it felt very special to me. Most of the lower parts of this enormous rock are under complete tree cover, but this little break in the leaves creates this majestic spot where my friends and I can climb and enjoy the mountains during beautiful weather.
You know how much I love huge rocks, and this place is full of them. Similarly to my spot in Vermont, this place is littered with massive stones that control the environment and where plants can grow. As you can see in the image below, small plants and trees are growing out of the rock as I climb up.
Regarding vegetation, this place has a drastically different climate from Smugglers Notch, VT, allowing other plants to grow. As you hike up to this spot, the trail sides are decorated with rhododendron and relatively small Carolina Hemlock. You can differentiate a Carolina Hemlock from an Eastern Hemlock by the way the needles protrude from the stem at all angles instead of in a flat line. Paper and Yellow birch are such a dominant species amongst my Smuggs Phenology spot, but there are none at my new site at Looking Glass Rock.
Thanks for tuning in Climbers,
Eric